It was said that when life neared the end, the final moments would stretch and one would see their whole life flash.
For Enigma, it saw mostly darkness.
It was like a cocoon. Protecting. But also confining.
She could still experience the world, but only as a mere audience. It was like taking a backseat and having no control over the journey.
And then it happened.
A long, long time after she 'woke up'.
She was finally free.
But hardships hit her since the moment she opened her eyes. She went from relishing the joy of 'life' to realizing the pain and suffering she caused and went back to 'sleep', only to be called once again and finally end up in Shadow Guardians.
"Catch her." The abyssal far in the distance shouted.
"She killed my brother. I will kill her!" An angry roar reverberated across space, quickly followed the rumbling of thunder.
A blinding golden light flashed and a huge lightning dragon was created. As the dragon was about to rush forward, an anxious voice sounded.
"Don't!"
The abyssal leader tried unsuccessfully to stop the kill.
Enigma's eyes were slightly open as she saw the golden creature rush towards her.
Behind that creature were other lightning weapons, but instead of targetting her, they were targetting the creature.
The abyssals didn't intend to kill her if they could capture her alive.
What would happen if she was captured?
Enigma recalled Sia's predicament.
Sia was crying for days. The physical pain was on an inhumane level, but the psychological pain that her 'existence' itself was wiped off, and the one person she was the closest forgot who she was.
'But I don't have anyone to forget me…I am just a shadow.' Enigma smiled bitterly.
Boom!
The dragon was intercepted just a few miles away from her, and the resulting shockwaves sent Enigma flying.
Her body shook violently as she felt herself falling apart.
"Phew! She would be an important specimen!" The abyssal leader's voice reached her ears.
'…I'm a hybrid, not a specimen.' Enigma floated in space as the last bit of strength left her body.
"Capture her now. Don't delay!" Following the leader's voice, two abyssals shot forward.
As Enigma felt them approach, her mind started to slow down.
'Death…is it really scary?'
'But I won't die. I just won't wake up forever. But then, what difference would it make…'
As she made the decision, Enigma's eyes which were violet suddenly glowed with a tri-color and a terrifying aura emanated from her body.
The abyssals that were sent to capture her were taken aback and rushed forward.
And when they did, they discovered another presence entering their perception range.
"DREAMER!"
"KILL!"
While an abyssal attacked the ghost ship by locking it through his lightning sense, another directly attacked Enigma.
Due to the long battle with Enigma, they were absolutely tired and their attacks were far from their peak.
So, Ghostship only shook a little taking the level 8's lightning spear head-on, and rushed to Enigma.
On the other hand, hearing his name, Enigma's glowing tri-color eyes stiffened and reverted back to violet.
The lightning net that was about to capture her suddenly froze and an invisible power pulled her.
The abyssals could only watch Enigma being taken into ghost ship.
Not even a few seconds passed and level 9 abyssals rushed to the location shouting.
"Where's her corpse?" Rivak yelled, only to be answered by silence.
Then, his expression took a turn for the worse and he checked the messages from Dorak on Pluto and the level 7s regarding the core facility.
With bloodshot eyes, Rivak roared.
"Arghhhh!"
*** *** ***
Bali and Blue Flash fainted on the floor. Under them, the puddle of blood was only increasing with each second.
They used their space power to block the attack, but it was already overexertion on their part.
Varian looked at Enigma floating in front of him with a complicated expression.
"…Boo, heal us all, please…" Varian said in a weak voice and used his telekinetic power to lift his three unconscious teammates and place them on the emergency beds.
Boo's bots quickly brought the 9-star potions and administered them to them all.
Varian sat on a chair nearby and stared at them with a complicated expression.
Covering his face, he gritted his teeth. '…I was taking things too easily.'
It finally hit him.
He lived in depression for a year and it messed his mind. Then, the system happened, an awakening followed and he got into the defense academy.
He was ostracized, made new enemies, and nearly died in the lost dungeon.
And then he got ghost ship.
His first act as the Dreamer gave birth to a sense of confidence that only kept growing with each success.
Dreamer gave the Omni-key and destroyed the abyssals in dungeons.
Dreamer orchestrated the destruction of Shadow Order's secret realms on Earth and was arguably the deciding factor.
Dreamer was the hero, whether acknowledged or not. He was the one who solved the cluster cities' crisis. He saved the federation from certain destruction.
And this was the exact train of thought that led to the current situation.
"It wasn't Dreamer…It was ghost ship. It was Boo." Varian said with a vacant expression.
He looked at the three people who risked their lives for his plan and guilt overwhelmed him.
If it was a year ago, this guilt would've paralyzed Varian.
But not now.
His overconfidence due to the success of Dreamer couldn't hide the brilliance of the hardships he triumphed.
"What went wrong with this mission?" Varian asked himself.
Many reasons came up.
No one knew that abyssals still had a technology that could restrict Boo. If not, then he could've quickly taken the Blocker and returned.
Enigma, Bali, and Blue Flash wouldn't have to nearly die.
Or maybe it was his impulsiveness. He should've planned more. He should've estimated how the plan could fail and taken countermeasures.
Or simply plan better. Perhaps there was a better way.
For instance, asking Evander to help. Or asking Sovereign Irene.
There were many, many reasons Varian could point to.
But in the end, it all came down to one crucial thing.
Strength.
At the end of the day, no matter the ghost ship, no matter the ragnrarorks, he was a weak level 6.
So weak that Blue Flash had to help him take out the level 7 abyssals using ragnarorks.
So weak that Enigma and Bali unilaterally decided not to fight anywhere near Pluto lest they accidentally kill him.
So weak that even when he saw the ashes of a billion people weep in his hands, he abandoned them.
"…Strength," Varian muttered.
"Level 7…but I could've finished off the abyssals far faster and everyone would've been safe."
"Level 8, Level 9…" Varian clenched his fist.
Slowly, he stood up. The 9-star potion Boo administered to him was working. On a level 6, a 9-star potion was an overwhelming waste.
Ironically, because his level was the lowest, he was recovering far more quickly.
Varian walked to his unconscious teammates and checked their conditions.
Enigma's injuries were the worst.
"You…" Varian's eyes widened as he looked at her with a complicated expression.
Only now did he notice that she was still holding a sword.